Breaking

Ultrahuman's Ex-Hardware Chief Raises $5.5M to Build Devices That Command AI Agents

July 16, 2026 at 07:35 EDT

AI Agents
Funding & M&A

Apoorv Shankar, the former Hardware VP at smart-ring maker Ultrahuman, has raised $5.5 million to develop a new class of hardware built not to track users but to control AI agents directly. The stealth effort, known as Project Mirage, aims to replace the keyboard and mouse with context-aware input devices designed for a world in which autonomous software increasingly acts on a user's behalf.

Stealth Hardware · Project Mirage

A New Class of Hardware Built to Command AI Agents — Not Track You

Former Ultrahuman Hardware VP Apoorv Shankar has raised $5.5M in seed funding to replace the keyboard and mouse with context-aware devices that let people directly control autonomous AI agents.

$5.5M

Seed-stage round raised

Conceptual devices unveiled: Dune, Shift & Radiance

Stealth

Only prototypes shown; no product shipped yet

The Deliberate Pivot

BEFORE · Ultrahuman Ring

Hardware as a SENSOR — passively records sleep & activity.

→

NOW · Project Mirage

Hardware as an ACTUATOR — directs AI agents to take action.

A Rare Bet

Most agent-control startups live purely in software. Project Mirage is a hardware-first wager on a physical command layer.

Dune positioned as a context-aware input device to rethink how humans issue commands.
Debuted its concepts at the CES electronics showcase.
Recruiting hardware, software & partnership talent across India and the U.S.

THE PROMISE

A fresh take on human–machine interaction for an increasingly automated software landscape — as agents grow more capable, users may want dedicated hardware to steer them.

THE OPEN QUESTIONS

Pricing, supported OS and benchmarks are undisclosed. How accurately devices steer an agent — and where they break down — remains unanswered until real units ship.

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